Popatrao Pawar

Popatrao Pawar showed the way to revive rural water resources.

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Lack of groundwater and the failure of successive monsoons at Hivre Bazaar, a village of 1,300 people in Maharashtra's rain-shadow area, made it impossible to grow anything other than bajra. That was until Popatrao Pawar became its sarpanch. As agricultural incomes fell, villagers migrated, unemployment rose, crime became commonplace and illicit liquor-making flourished. Conditions deteriorated to such a level that no government official wanted a posting there. When Pawar, a budding cricketer, was elected as the sarpanch in 1989, his family was upset as it wanted him to stay in the city. "But I felt that I needed to make my village better," he says.

"Hivre Bazaar has become a model village. The Government wants to replicate this ideal across Maharashtra."P. Anbalgan, Collector, Ahmednagar

Between the devil of unemployment and the deep sea of inadequate water supply, the 45-year-old Pawar decided to tackle the latter first. Utilising the employment guarantee scheme, the predecessor of NREGA, the villagers and the Forest Department began constructing trenches along forest areas and planted 4.5 lakh trees. As the forest cover increased, water table rose automatically and the village got the first National Water Award for community-led water conservation from the Union Ministry of Water Resources. Over time, they also built check dams, gully plugs and bunds. The next step was to manage crops and water together. Water guzzling crops like banana, sugarcane and rice were banned while cattle were not allowed to graze in forest areas. Tree felling and open defecation were banned too. Says Pawar: "We allow crops that do well with drip irrigation or those that are rain-fed. Now we also grow vegetables and cash crops like onion and groundnut."

Rs 40,000 is the per capita income in 2010, up from Rs 832 in 1992.

It took 10 long years but the village is now an oasis in a rocky terrain. Groundwater levels have risen from 80-120 ft in 1995 to 15-40 ft in 2010. The gram sabha tied up with the Bank of Maharashtra to give loans to poor families; some of those making illicit liquor are now dairy owners. The village produces 4,000 litres of milk every day; 83 families have returned since 1997 and there are just three landless families in the village now.

The per capita income has shot up from Rs 832 in 1992 to Rs 40,000 in 2010. Children study up to Class X and the primary health centre is equipped with modern facilities. Can Hivre Bazaar develop a new market mantra for Indian rural prosperity?